Body type assembly outfit



Feb. 10, 1953 v J. F. MURPHY 2,627,795

BODY TYPE ASSEMBLY OUTFIT Filed Nov. 17, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet l 9%2; fi ij;

Feb. 10, 1953 J. F. MURPHY 2,627,795

BODY TYPE ASSEMBLY OUTFIT Filed Nov. 17, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 w Fig.2

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Feb. 10, 1953 J, F, RP 2,627,795

BODY TYPE ASSEMBLY OUTFIT Filed Nov. 17, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 15 10 Fig. 7

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Patented Feb. 10, 1953 BODY TYPE ASSEMBLY OUTFIT Joseph F. Murphy, West Roxbury, Mass., assignor to Lumitype Corporation, Roxbury, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 17, 1949, Serial No. 127,917

3 Claims.

This invention comprises a new and improved outfit for assembling photographic type blocks for contact printing, particularly for producing display headings, layouts, oiiset printing and the like.

Heretofore such proofs have been usually produced from type that must be set by hand at considerable expense and with a very limited range of style available to all but the largest printing plants. This is because fonts of large size type are costly and the printers equipment does not include many varieties thereof. Moreover, body type is expensive because the proof usually requires re-touching to eliminate blemishes where the ink has failed to produce a solid black impression. The setting of metal type, moreover, requires the services of experienced typesetters, particularly since such metal type appears in the reverse of its impression.

The outfit of the present invention overcomes these disadvantages, increases the printers resources, and provides a procedure for producing quickly and inexpensively right-reading, reverse and positive proofs as required for the offset It permits the employment of a number of various fonts or" transparent type characters ranging from 24 point up to 120 point and larger in both upper and lower case. The type blocks may also be furnished in italic font and may be cut in slanted shape to fit in perfect alignment.

The type blocks may be transparent with an opaque character therein, or they may have an opaque screen surface with a transparent character cut therein. An important and novel feature of the type blocks of my invention is that they are provided with one or more beveled edges which are eifective to reflect light instead of transmitting it. When the type blocks are assembled in contiguous relation, therefore, there is no danger of the formation of unwanted light streaks in the resulting proof such as tend otherwise to be produced by light passing through the edges of the blocks.

My invention includes within its scope the novel frame and holder in which the type blocks may be readily and accurately set up as required. This is characterized by a series of grooves out longitudinally with a standard unit spacing such, for example, as a 12 point spacing in combination with removable and replaceable guide rails which may be fitted into the slots in accordance with the size of the type blocks to be employed. For example, if 12 point type is desired, a guide rail will be inserted in consecutive slots, whereas if 24. point type is desired, the guide rails will be inserted in alternate slots and will be separated by a 24 point space. Similarly, larger type blocks may be accommodated by locating the guide rails with a spacing of any multiple of 12 points.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the complete outfit showing the cover opened,

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the cover closed,

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation,

Figs. i and 5 are plan views of type blocks,

6 is a view in perspective of the type block shown in Fig. 4.,

Fig. 7 is a view in cross-section on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2 and on an enlarged scale, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal section.

As herein illustrated, the frame comprises a rectangular base Ill having a cover ll hinged thereto and provided with a glass panel or Window l2. Connected to the base In for yielding vertical movement is a holder I3 which comprises a rectangular block arranged to yield vertically a limited distance upon screws [4 and held normally in elevated position by springs [5 surrounding each screw as best shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The holder is provided with a series of longitudinal slots 16 which extend entirely through the holder but terminate short of its ends. These slots are evenly and accurately spaced 12 points apart, that is to say, the distance between the proximate edges of two adjacent slots is 12 points. Accordingly, the holder herein shown has a capacity of 20 slots IS.

The slots are of uniform width from end to end and are arranged to receive with a sliding lit the guide rails H which, when inserted, pass through the slots and rest upon the inner face of the base ill, as well shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The rails H are of sufficient width to extend a substantial distance above the upper face of the holder I3 when the latter is in its uppermost position, but in no case do they contact with the glass panel l2. The guide rails may be inserted in any selected slots. For example, as shown in Fig. '7, the two left hand guide rails I! have a point spacing; the next two guide rails have a 48 point spacing; while the remaining guide rails are set with a 24 point spacing. It will readily be understood that type blocks of any .material required for the printed sheet. .type on-a black background is required, type 3 practicable size may be accommodated in the holder by placing the guide rails in appropriate slots.

The type blocks themselves are best shown in Figs. 4, and 6. These are rectangular in shape and may conveniently range from 24 to 120 point. They may be constructed of transparent synthetic resin such-as Lucite, Vinylite, celluloseacetate, etc. As shown in Fig. 4 the body of the block is transparent and it has depicted in its outer surface an opaque capital letter L 2|. The type block shown in Fig. 5 is similar except that it is provided with an opaque screen surface 22 in which is depicted a transparent letter .23. In both cases the upper longitudinal edges :of the block are beveled at 24 so as to provide a reflecting surface at approximately Figs. 1 and 2 suggest how the type blocks above described may be assembled for producing proof. The holder is organized to hold and pre- ..sent:one row of 60 point type blocks 29, one row .of 48 point type blocks as, one row of 36 point ,type blocks 48, and two rows of 24 point type blocks 59. Spacingor clamping blocks 25 may be employed to supplement the type blocks and hold them in the desired longitudinal position. The bars between the slots [5 in the holder l3 collectively provide a supporting space between 'the guide rails I! for strips of sensitized photographic paper.

The outfit above described may be utilized as follows. A strip of photographic contact paper, preferably extra thin, is placed between the rails 'WlthltS emulsion side uppermost. Type blocks of the positive type, as shown in Fig. 5, are now I set between the rails with the lower face of the type blocks in contact with the emulsion of the paper beneath them. For example, the paper may be placed between the rails I! which locate the type blocks 29 shown in Fig. 2 as presenting the letters JUWB.

, by natural light or light from an electric bulb,

and requires only a few seconds. The resulting 7 print will be a right-reading paper negative in brilliant black with the letters displayed against a sparkling white background with clear and @sharp delineation. Theright-reading proof thus produced is now ready for paste-up with other If white blocks of the character shown in Fig. 4 are employed and the procedure is precisely as above explained.

sensitized contact paper is now available in extra thin or standard weight which is not de- The sensitized'paper is.

4 pendent upon split second exposure or precisely timed processing, but may be exposed for seconds or minutes as the case may be with entirely satisfactory results and without danger of buckling or wrinkling after processing.

It will be understood that the bars or partitions presented by the holder l3 between the slots it provide supporting surface for the sensitized paper and the type blocks :above them.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail one illustrative embodiment thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. .A type assembling device comprising a rectangular .base.;having a spring mounted holder .movably mountedtherein and presenting a series of longitudinal .slots uniformly arranged in the body oft-he holder-in multiples of type point ..,spacing, guide rails inserted in selected slots,

tangular base having a cooperating transparent cover, a holder having a series of longitudinal slots-and means for supporting the holder yieldingly above the surface of the base, guide rails resting in stationary position on the base, passing upwardly through the slots of the holder and projecting above its face thereby forming guideways for sensitized photographic paper, and a row of transparent type blocks having characters defined by opaque areas retained between adjacent guide rails and movable with the .holder while the guide rails remain at rest.

3. A type assembling device comprising a rectangular frame having a hinged transparent cover, a rectangular. holder within .the frame having a series of longitudinal. slots therein separated by parallel bars which serve as .a support for type blocks and sensitized paper, springs supporting the holder in the frame, 'means for determining the initial vertical position of the holder,-and guide strips. fitting freely in selected slots of the holder and resting upon the bottom of the base, whereby the holder with its supported type blocks may be moved vertically while the guide strips remain at rest.

JOSEPH. F. MURPHY.

.BEFERENCES .CITED The following'references are of record in'the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 966,696 Merrill Aug. 9, 1910 1,079,402 Cornwall Nov. 25,1913 1,113,550 Goldberg Oct. 13, 1914 1,999,616 .Peterson Apr. 30, 1935 

